CD4 apoptosis - the way of cure in future ?

Dec 11, 2004

Dear Doctor,

I have read an interesting article about cells apoptosis.

My idea is:
How to force HIV infected CD4 cells to make apoptosis and thus to stop replication of HIV virus ?
Normal human cells should make apoptosis and to die if there is something wrong with them. Why not CD4 cells?

Do you have any idea how far is the research in this?

Thank you for your opinion.

Response from Dr. Young

Thanks for your post.

Your idea sounds like a good one, though I can't say that I'm aware of any strategies that would make this a possibility. There are studies using immune modulators to try to ferret out latently infected human cells- thereby (perhaps) causing them to die more rapidly; but preliminary results are just that, preliminary.

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